184 



LAIiiJS. GULL. 



Generic Characte?\ 



Rostrum rectum, compres- 

 sum, mediocre, integrum, 

 apice adunco; mandibula 

 inferiore infra versus api- 

 cem gibba et angulata. 



Nares lineares, rectfe, in 

 medio rostri sitae. 



Pedes tetradactyli ; jjollex 

 brevis a terra elevata. 



Cauda baud furcata. 



Beah straight, compressed, 

 moderate, entire, its tip 

 hooked; the lower man- 

 dible beneath gibbous and 

 angulated near the tip. 



Nostrils linear, straight, 

 placed in the middle of 

 the beak. 



Legs four-toed; the hinder 

 toe short, not touching the 

 ground. 



, Tail not forked. 



LARUS Auctorum. 



Gulls are voracious and cowardly birds, which 

 swarm on the sea-coasts, although some are found 

 also on the margins of fresh-water lakes and rivers : 

 their food consists indifferently of living or dead 

 fishes, their fry, or carrion. They endure the most 

 severe tempests, flying almost continually ; but when 

 at rest often repose on the surface of the sea, in pre- 

 ference to that of its coasts. The sexes resemble 



